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R. D. PRATT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

YNo. 448,365. Y Patented Mar. 1'7, 1891.

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STATES PATENT truien.

RANSOM D. PRATT, OF MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO JULIAN P. YVOOD AND HERBERT J. VILLARD, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRlC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,365, dated March l?, 18911.

Application filed July 7, 1890. Serial No. 358,024. (No model.)

To ctZZwtom t zii/tty concern:

Be it known that I, RANsoM D. PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marlborough, county of Middlesex, State of Massa- 5 chusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches, and has for its object to produce a simple,

:o cheap, and effective switch which is easily operated and not liable to get out of order; and to these ends my invention consists in aswitch constructed, arranged, and operating sub- .stantially as hereinafter more particularly 15 set forth'.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, in which- Figure I is a sectional view of an electriczo light socket and switch. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof on the line 0c at, Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts in different positions.

Ileretofore electricswitches have been made -25 in many and various forms, and it has been proposed to makea switch operated by a pushbutton, in which the circuit was closed on pushing` the button and opened on pulling the button. In other words, the different op- 3o erations were necessary to produce the alter-i nate opening` and closing of the switch.

One of the features of myimproved switch is that it is operated bya push-button, which is pressed in the usual manner of such but- 3 5 tons both to open and close the circuit, it standing in its normal position at all times when not pressed by the hand of the operator. Vhile the principles of my inventionfmay be applied to many and various forms of lo switches, cut-outs, and the like, it is not nec essary to show all the applications thereof;-

make electrical connection with one of the electrodes thereof, the upper portion of the tube supporting an insulating plate or disk D, and connected to said plate is a bindingpost O', to which one of the conductors P is connected. Mounted on this disk D isa plate E, preferably of spring material, bent up to form one of the contacts, and also connected to this plate is a tongue F, extending' through an opening CZ in the center of the plate and forming a connection for the other electrode of the electric lamp when screwed in place in the socket; also, mounted on the plate D is an upright support G, having a plate I-I, secured thereto and extending practically parallel with the disk D. To this plate is secured a block I, of insulating material,on which is mounted a bent plate J, forming a bindingpost for the other conductor, as N. This plate J is provided with an extension K, which is preferably bent in the form shown and arranged adjacent to the end of the plate E,

.which also is preferably bent to forni a lip e.

Pivotally mounted on the insulating-block I is a switch-lever L, having an extension L', adapted to move between the lips K and e and to complete the electrical connection be tween them. These lips are arranged at an inclination, as shown in Fig. l, so that the projection L will rub against the lips and keep them bright and make good electric contact, and as the projection K is inclined 'from a central point and bears upon the eX- tension L of the switch it tends to hold it in position either open or closed, as the case may be, and when it is moved in either direction after passing the apex of the depression it tends to assist the switch in completing its movement. This switch L is operated by a push-button M, which moves in a socket O, secured to the standard G, and a spring Q normally keeps the puslrbutton extended, as shown in Figs. l and 2, when not under pressure of the operator. Mounted on the pushbutton is a plate or rod R, which is of some spring material, and secured at one end to a lug or projection R', and thus moves with the push-button. The switch L is provided with a pointed projection L2, having inclined sides and recessesl Z on either side. Normally this pointed or V-shaped projection L2 too i lies with its point at one side or the other of the path of the iinger or rod R, as shown in Fig. 2.

The case A may have the usual cap-piece S and a rubber or other gasket T, through which the conductors P and N pass.

Such being the construction, the operation of the switch will be readily understood.

In the position shown in Fig. 2 the switch is closed, the extension L being between the lips K of the plate J and e of the plate'E, and when the push-button is pressed forward the rod R will impinge upon the inclined side of the point L2 of the switch and pass down until it reaches the notch Z, when a further pressure will move the switch to break the connection, as shown in Figs. l and 3. As soon as the pressure is released from the push-button it will assume its normal extended position, the rod R being in the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3. When it is desired to close the circuit, the pushbutton is again forced inward and the rod R will impinge upon the inclined side of the projection L2 and pass down to the notch Z andthe switch will be rocked on its pivot, so that the extension L will pass between the lips K and e and complete the electric connection. It will be seen that the bent lip K acts to prevent the movement of the switch until the rodlR reaches the notches Z or Z, as the case may be, and then assists in causing the switch to make a complete movement after it has once passed the apex of the projection. Thus the pushbutton can be operated and pressed to aconsiderable extent without moving the switch, as the latter is not moved until the latter part of the movement of the push-button, and thus accident-al pressures will not be liable to move the switch, it requiring a complete movement of the button to operate the switch.

In order to make adouble break-switch, so as to break both the conductors leading to the lamp or other device and to close them simultaneously, the switch may be extended, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 3, and instead of the plate C', forming a binding-post, a contact-plate similar to plate E and a duplicate contact-plate J, serving as a bindingpost, may be supplied, as indicated in Fig. 3. Thus on each alternate movement of the switch both circuits will be broken or closed the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown.

1. An electric switch having contacts, a

vpivoted bar to engage said contacts, provided with a V-shaped projection extending toward the push-button, a push-button for operating the bar, and a spring for retaining the pushbutton out of connection with the bar, the button being provided with a rod to engage the bar alternately at each side of the projection to open or close the circuit, substantially as described.

2. A switch having contacts, a pivoted bar to engage said contacts, said bar having a V- shaped projection extending toward the pushbutton and provided with recesses at each side of the projection, and a spring-retained push-button provided with a spring-fingerconnected thereto to alternately engage the recesses at each side of the projection at each forward movement of the push-button, substantially as described.

3. An electric switch having contacts, a pivoted bar to engage said contacts, a pushbutton for operating the bar, a spring for retaining the push-but-ton in its normal condition away from the bar, and arod on the pushbutton engaging the opposite side of the projection on the bar at each alternate forward movement,.substantially as described.

4. A switch having contacts and a pivoted bar to engage said contacts, said bar having a V-shaped projection with recesses on each side of the projection, in comhination'with a pushbutton having a spring-finger connected thereto to operate the switch-bar, substan` tially as described.

5. A switch having contacts, consisting of plates having lips adjacent each other and a switch-bar arranged to pass between the lips, one of the lips being bent to hold the switchbar in position, substantially as described.

6. An electric switch having the contactplates provided with lips arranged adjacent -each other, a pivoted switch-bar to engage said lips, said bar having a V-shaped projection and recesses on each side of said projection, and a push-button carrying a finger to engage the sides of said V-shaped projection and arranged to move the switch-bar only when the finger engages the recesses, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RANSOM D. PRATT. Vitnesses:

RUFUS O. CLARK, WALTER L. COMEY.

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